Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

Abstract

Factor Structure of the Japanese Version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations: Reclassification of Coping Styles and Predictive Power for Depressive Mood

Masatsugu Sakata, Yukihiro Takagishi and Toshinori Kitamura

This study attempted to determine, using a sample of Japanese university students (n=507), the best factor structure for the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). An exploratory factor analysis conducted on a randomly split half of the sample yielded a five-factor structure. The robustness of this structure were confirmed by a confirmatory factor analysis on the other half of the sample, as compared to three- and four-factor models. The factors Task Solution, Social Diversion, and Distraction were encompassed by the higher-level factor, Actionoriented Coping. The factors Rumination and Aggression were represented by the higher level factor, Emotionoriented Coping. Emotion-oriented Coping significantly predicted depressive mood five weeks later in a prospective study of the same sample, while Action-oriented Coping predicted significantly reduced depressive mood. These results suggest that the five-factor structure of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations is valid for Japanese young adults and adolescents, and that action-oriented coping is an adaptive coping strategy